Death, protests, police violence, fires, an election year, and a once-in-a-century pandemic have dropped the country into a nightmare in the year 2020—feeding into a never-ending crisis, especially for the American people.
Some may think that the traumatic events that occurred in 2020 were similar to those that marked the years of 1918, 1929, and 1968. However, from having to fend for themselves if struck by the Spanish flu in 1918 to the recent national unrest following the public killing of Black lives, the world was educated on the history of racial injustice. The social issue was taken to the streets to protest on the matter and embark on a journey of change.
After the brutal death of Breonna Taylor, the killing of George Floyd through excessive force, and the severe state of Jacob Blake after being shot seven times—a few of the many deaths that have occurred in the hands of police officers—outrage spread quickly, rekindling the nationwide protests for racial justice.
Social media played a vital role in this spread and soon became a trend through the use of #BlackLivesMatter and #BLM on several social media platforms, documenting the “behind the scenes” and showing the protests and the events that led to these protests in a clear light.
However, when it comes to inciting change, many don’t realize that a fight against racial inequality should not be a trend. Instead, this should be identified as a movement that has initiated a series of events that brought social and political changes.
Protests were seen in cities all over the United States and much-displayed support from all corners of the world. Those who took the streets to peacefully protest were faced with forces willing to injure others and were encountered with life-threatening attacks—all from the hands of police officers documented by citizens and posted on social media.
Through the use of heavy, military-level equipment received from the government and the handling of federal forces in cities like Portland under President Donald Trump’s command, protesters and journalists alike were being attacked for exercising their first-amendment right—generating the “defund the police” and “all cops are bad (ACAB)” movement.
This year, many saw that change is made by those who show up and represent the active voices fighting towards active problems.
In fighting for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake, and several other victims of police brutality and racial inequality, the nation incited change and publicized the hate within people that has been dismissed for so long.
Breonna’s law was set in place on June 11th and banned no-knock search warrants after police raided her home for suspicion, but many were still questioning the police officers who raided the home as it took three months after her death for them to be charged.
As a result, it only took four days after killing George Floyd for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to be charged with third-degree murder, later updated to second-degree murder, and the three other police officers present have also been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. In addition, Minneapolis banned chokeholds among police officers as it was the cause of George Floyd’s death.
“This is a moment in time where we can totally change the way our police department operates,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
On a business and branding scale, companies like Johnson & Johnson and Aunt Jemima have completely put a pause to, or have rebranded their products, as a response to critiques for advertising items that promote or represent racial inequality.
In just a matter of 30 days after the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement was able to incite drastic change in the country, a change that would’ve taken years without it.
This was, and still is, a historic period of time. But, what many need to realize is that it’s not over, in actuality, we’re only getting started.
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